Door for a cooking oven for food use and cooking oven for foodstuffs

ABSTRACT

Door ( 1 ) for a cooking oven ( 2 ) for food use, comprising:
     a frame ( 6 );   an internal glass pane ( 7 ) and an external glass pane ( 7 ) supported by the frame ( 6 ) and defining a space;   LED lamps ( 8 ) arranged in proximity of the internal glass pane ( 7 ) for sanitising a cooking chamber ( 4 ) of the oven ( 2 ) by radiation.

The present utility model relates to a door for a cooking oven for food use and a cooking oven equipped with said door. The oven and the door are applicable for example in bread-baking, pastry-baking or gastronomy.

As is known, a cooking oven for food use is formed by a box container substantially having a parallelepiped shape defining a cooking chamber. The box container has an opening for introduction of food; a door hinged to the box container along a vertical or horizontal axis is associated to said opening.

In general, a door for a cooking oven is constituted by a frame to which a pair of facing glass panes is constrained in such a way as to define a space.

In the prior art, the cleaning of the cooking chamber is done by manual washing, or by known automatic washing systems. For example, the cooking chamber is periodically subjected to a washing cycle using liquids (for example water and detergent) or steam.

The main disadvantage of the known solutions is linked to the fact that a simple wash does not destroy the proliferation of micro-organisms (for example bacteria) or viruses internally of the cooking chamber.

In this context, the technical task underpinning the present invention is to provide a door for a cooking oven for food use and a cooking oven for foodstuffs which obviate the drawbacks of the prior art as cited herein above.

In particular, an aim of the present invention is to provide a door for a cooking oven for food use and a cooking oven for foodstuffs which enable improving hygiene of the cooking chamber to which the door is associated, thus guaranteeing a consumer's safety.

The specified technical task and aims are substantially attained by a door for a cooking oven for food use and a cooking oven for foodstuffs comprising the technical characteristics set forth in one or more of the appended claims.

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge more clearly from the indicative and therefore non-limiting description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a door for a cooking oven for food use and a cooking oven for foodstuffs, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a door for a cooking oven for food use, according to the present invention, in a partly-exploded perspective view, in which the first glass pane is dismounted from the frame for reasons of clarity;

FIG. 2 illustrates the door of FIG. 1, in a partly-exploded perspective view;

FIG. 3 illustrates a cooking oven for foodstuffs according to the present invention, in a perspective view;

FIG. 4 illustrates a detail (the compartment containing the lamp) of the cooking oven of FIG. 3, in a perspective view.

With reference to the figures, reference numeral 1 denotes a door of a cooking oven 2 for food use. In particular, the cooking oven 2 is of the convection/steam type.

As can be observed in FIG. 3, the cooking oven 2 is formed by a box container 3 defining a cooking chamber 4 substantially having a parallelepiped shape. The box container 3 has an opening to which the door 1 of the present invention is associated.

The door 1 of the present invention comprises a frame 6 or perimeter border adapted to support a pair of glass panes 7 facing one another and defining a space.

The door 1 is provided with hinge means (not illustrated) solidly constrained to the frame 6 and adapted to cooperate with further hinge means (not illustrated) located on the box container 3 by a side of the opening. In this way, the door 1 is rotatably pivoted to the box container 3 and enables opening and closing the opening.

When the door 1 mounted on the cooking oven 2 is closed, one of the glass panes (said first glass pane) directly faces the cooking chamber 4 and the other glass pane 7 (said second glass pane) faces outwardly of the cooking chamber 4.

Originally the door 1 comprises sanitising means 8 by radiation. The sanitizing means 8 are integrally constrained to the frame 6 and are situated in proximity of the first glass pane 7. The sanitizing means 8 comprise at least a lamp. The lamp is preferably a LED lamp. In the preferred embodiment, the LED lamp 8 emits a light radiation in the ultraviolet spectrum. In particular, the LED lamp 8 emits UV-A rays. Alternatively, the LED lamp 8 emits UV-B or UV-C rays. The sanitizing means 8 preferably comprise a plurality of LED lamps, For example, in the embodiment described and illustrated herein, the LED lamps 8 are organized such as to form two lateral bars 8 a, 8 b arranged in the space between the two glass panes 7.

Alternatively to the LED lamps 8, also incandescent lamps could be used, or halogen lamps.

In a second embodiment, the lamp or lamps 8 can be integrally supported by the box container 3 and orientated in such a way as to irradiate the cooking chamber 4.

As is visible in FIG. 3, the box container 3 has a housing compartment 9 of the lamp 8. In particular, the housing compartment 9 consists in a cavity obtained in a wall 10 of the box container 3 and protected by a transparent cover adapted to allow the radiation to pass towards the cooking chamber 4.

In alternative embodiments, the LED lamps 8 are directly located in the cooking chamber 4 and not on the door 1 of the oven 2.

The functioning of the cooking oven according to the present invention is described in the following.

The cooking chamber 4 is periodically subjected to a cleaning cycle, which is carried out with the door 1 closed. The cleaning cycle comprises, in order, following steps:

-   -   injecting steam at a temperature comprised between about 90° C.         and 1110° C. with the aim of melting the food residues;     -   rinsing with water at a temperature comprised between about         10° C. and 30° C. (in particular, the water is used at ambient         temperature, without any need to heat it and/or cool it);     -   alternating the injection of steam and detergent he activating         of fans to aerate the oven;     -   rinsing with water at a temperature comprised between about         10° C. and 30° C. (in particular, the water is used at ambient         temperature, without any need to heat it and/or cool it);     -   introducing a sparkling;     -   drying and sanitising.

In particular, the drying and sanitising step consists of:

-   -   activating the fans and extracting the steam;     -   activating the LED lamps 8 and the fans contemporaneously.

The duration of the drying and sanitizing step is preferably comprised between 6 and 12 minutes. This step can also be carried out in the absence of the preceding steps. The overall duration of the preceding steps (from the first steam injection to the introduction of the sparkling aid product) can be regulated as a function of the level of soiling. For example, an overall time range for a wash can go from 46 minutes to two hours and 34 minutes.

With the use of the lamps, a sanitising with a germicide action of the cooking chamber 4 can be obtained, as the radiation is able to destroy the nucleic acids of the micro-organisms.

From the description set forth herein the characteristics of the door for a cooking oven for food use and the cooking oven for foodstuffs of the present invention are clear, as are the advantages thereof.

The arrangement of lamps in the housing compartment of the box body or directly in proximity of the first glass pane guarantees the radiating of the cooking chamber and the consequent destruction of the micro-organisms still remaining in the cooking chamber, thus improving the hygiene of the oven and the safety of the consumer.

As the sanitising is realised by means of the simple activating of lamps located in the oven door or in the thus arranged housing compartment, the invention is structurally simple, compact and economical. 

1. Door (1) for a cooking oven (2) for food use, comprising: a frame (6); a first glass pane (7) anchored to said frame (6) and positionable internally to the cooking oven (2); a second glass pane (7) facing said first glass pane (7) and anchored to said frame (6), said second glass pane (7) being positionable externally of the cooking oven (2), characterised in that it comprises sanitising means (8) by radiation, integrally constrained to the frame (6) and situated in proximity of said first glass pane (7), said sanitising means (8) comprising at least one lamp.
 2. Door (1) according to claim 1, wherein said sanitising means (8) by radiation comprise a plurality of lamps.
 3. Door (1) according to claim 2, wherein said lamps (8) are organised such as to form two lateral bars (8 a, 8 b) arranged in a space between said first glass pane (7) and said second glass pane (7).
 4. Door (1) according to claim 1, wherein said at least one lamp (8) is a LED lamp.
 5. Door (1) according to claim 4, wherein said at least a LED lamp (8) emits a light radiation in the ultraviolet spectrum.
 6. Door (1) according to claim 5, wherein said at least one LED lamp (8) emits a light radiation in the UV-A spectrum.
 7. Cooking oven (2) for foodstuffs, comprising: a cooking chamber (4); a box container (3) defining said cooking chamber (4), said box container (3) having an opening for introduction of the foodstuffs into the cooking chamber (4); a door (1) associated to said opening for closing the opening, characterised in that it comprises sanitising means (8) by radiation integrally supported by the box container (3) and orientated in such a way as to irradiate the cooking chamber (4), said sanitising means (8) comprising at least one lamp.
 8. Cooking oven (2) according to claim 7, wherein said box container (3) has a housing compartment (9) of said at least one lamp (8).
 9. Cooking oven (2) according to claim 8, wherein said housing compartment (9) consists of a cavity fashioned in a wall (10) of the box container (3), said cavity being protected by a transparent cover (11) adapted for the passage of the radiation towards the cooking chamber (4). 